Photo: ESPN
The collegiate Southland Conference has suspended plate umpire Reggie Drummer indefinitely after making a third strike call that ended the game between Mississippi Valley State (MSV) and the University of New Orleans (UNO) on Friday.
“After a thorough review of the New Orleans and Mississippi Valley State baseball contest on March 10, 2023, the Southland Conference confirmed the home plate umpire’s conduct and actions were deemed detrimental to the Conference and in violation of Section 3 Character and Conduct of theCCA Mechanics Manual for Baseball,” the statement continued.
“As a result, the umpire has been removed from the series and has been suspended indefinitely from Southland Conference baseball games,” the statement read.
ESPN
Subsection 3.1 relating to character and conduct states, in part, that “umpires are expected to exhibit and uphold the standards of integrity of the umpiring profession” and that “umpires should make every decision based on the circumstances and facts presented.”
The first rule of Subsection 3.2 relating to conduct also states that “umpires shall bear a great responsibility for engendering public confidence in sports.”
Southland Conference officials concluded: “The conference will have no further comment.
According to ESPN, Drummer calledtwo strikes in a rowwhen MSV left fielder Davon Mims was up to bat with a 1-1 count and two outs in the ninth inning on pitches outside the batter’s box.
However, UNO catcher Jorge Tejeda caught the ball in the first pitch called when it crossed behind the plate just below Mims' knees.
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The third strike call ended the game, with UNO winning 7-3. ESPN reported that Mims was angry and attempted to confront Drummer. However, Drummer ignored Mims as he walked off the field.
Another umpire replaced Dummer Saturday in the second game of the conference series.
source: people.com
